CHANGES IN PUPILS' GRADE POINT AVERAGES BETWEEN JUNIOR AND SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL AS RELATED TO CERTAIN PERSONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS.

LEWIS, HAZEL M.; AND OTHERS

THIS PROJECT STUDIED THE PERSONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS OF STUDENTS WHOSE GRADE POINT AVERAGES (GPA) DEVIATED FROM A PREDICTED VALUE. THE SUBJECTS, 243 PUPILS ENTERING THE 10TH GRADE, WERE DIVIDED INTO THREE GROUPS--THOSE WHO ACHIEVED AS EXPECTED, THOSE WHO ACHIEVED BETTER THAN EXPECTED, AND THOSE WHO ACHIEVED LOWER THAN EXPECTED. THESE GROUPS WERE FORMED ON THE BASIS OF THE DEVIATION OF THE PREDICTED 10TH-GRADE GPA FROM THE ACTUAL GPA. THE THREE GROUPS WERE THEN STUDIED IN TERMS OF THE FOLLOWING VARIABLES--AGE, SEX, ETHNIC GROUP, ADULTS AT HOME AND WORK, MOBILITY, CONSISTENCY OF GRADES, GPA NINTH- AND 10TH-GRADE CONTENT SUBJECTS, AND SCORES ON SELECTED STANDARDIZED TESTS. THE FINDINGS ON 19 PERSONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS WERE PRESENTED IN A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE ABOVE- AND BELOW-PREDICTION GROUPS, AS WELL AS A COMPARISON OF THESE GROUPS WITH THE GROUP WHOSE PERFORMANCE FOLLOWED PREDICTIONS. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT FACTOR WAS THAT STUDENTS IN THE BELOW-PREDICTION GROUP TENDED TO SHOW A GRADUAL DECREASE IN GRADES PRIOR TO THEIR ENTRANCE INTO HIGH SCHOOL. (SK)